A commander-in-chief is de person or body dat exercises supreme operationaw command and controw of a nation's miwitary forces or significant ewements of dose forces. In de watter case, de force ewement is dose forces widin a particuwar region, or associated by function, uh-hah-hah-hah. As a practicaw term, it refers to miwitary competencies dat reside in a nation-state's executive weadership—eider a head of state, a head of government, a minister of defence, a nationaw cabinet, or some oder cowwegiaw body. Often, a given country's commander-in-chief (if hewd by an officiaw) need not be or have been a commissioned officer or even a veteran, uh-hah-hah-hah. In dese countries dis fowwows de principwe of civiwian controw of de miwitary.

A commander-in-chief is sometimes referred to as supreme commander, which is sometimes used as a specific term. The term is awso used for miwitary officers who howd such power and audority, not awways drough dictatorship, and as a subordinate (usuawwy) to a head of state (see Generawissimo). The term is awso used for officers who howd audority over an individuaw miwitary branch, speciaw branch or widin a deatre of operations.[2]

The Constitution (German: Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz) states, in Articwe 80, dat de President is de Commander-in-Chief of de Federaw Armed Forces. However, it furder provides dat de President may onwy have de Federaw Armed Forces at his disposaw to de extent provided in de Defence Act (German: Wehrgesetz); and dat de supreme command over de Federaw Armed Forces is exercised by de federaw minister audorized to serve in dis capacity by de Federaw Government, i.e. de cabinet under de chairmanship of de Federaw Chancewwor, as defined in Articwe 69.[7]

The commander-in-chief is de president, awdough executive power and responsibiwity for nationaw defense resides wif de prime minister. The onwy exception was de first commander-in-chief, Generaw M. A. G. Osmani, during Bangwadesh Liberation War in 1971, who was commander of aww Bangwadesh Forces, reinstated to active duty by officiaw BD government order, which after independence was gazetted in 1972. He retired on 7 Apriw 1972 and rewinqwished aww audority and duties to de President of Bangwadesh.[8]

The powers of command-in-chief over de Canadian Armed Forces are vested in de Canadian monarch,[10] and are dewegated to de Governor Generaw of Canada, who awso uses de titwe Commander-in-Chief.[11] In dis capacity, de governor generaw is entitwed to de uniform of a generaw/fwag officer, wif de crest of de office and speciaw cuff braid serving as rank insignia.

By constitutionaw convention, de Crown's prerogative powers over de armed forces and constitutionaw powers as commander-in-chief are exercised on de advice of de prime minister and de rest of Cabinet, de governing ministry dat commands de confidence of de House of Commons. According to de Nationaw Defence Act, de Minister of Nationaw Defence is responsibwe and accountabwe to parwiament for aww matters rewated to nationaw defence and de Canadian Armed Forces.[12] In deory, de governor generaw couwd awso use his or her powers as commander-in-chief to stop any attempts to use de Canadian Forces unconstitutionawwy, dough dis has never occurred and wouwd wikewy be highwy controversiaw.

The CMC Chairman and de President are distinctwy separate state offices and dey have not awways been hewd by de same persons. However, beginning in 1993, during de tenure of Jiang Zemin as CMC Chairman and Generaw Secretary of de Communist Party, it has been standard practice to have de President, de Chairman of de Centraw Miwitary Commission, and de Generaw Secretary of de Communist Party to be normawwy hewd by de same person; awdough de swight differences in de start and end of terms for dose respective offices means dat dere is some overwap between an occupant and his predecessor.

According to de 1992 constitution, de President of de Czech Repubwic is de Commander-in-Chief of de Armed Forces according to Articwe 63(1)(c), and appoints and promotes generaws under Articwe 63(1)(f). The President needs de countersignature of de Prime Minister for decisions concerning de above-mentioned provisions as per Articwes 63(3-4), or oderwise dey are not vawid. The Prime Minister may dewegate to oder ministers de right to countersign dese decisions of de President. The powiticaw responsibiwity for de Armed Forces is borne by de Government, which in Articwe 67 is defined as de "supreme body of executive power". According to Articwes 39 & 43, de Parwiament must give consent to de dispatch of Czech miwitary forces outside de territory of de Czech Repubwic.[14]

The Ministry of Defence is de centraw audority of de state administration for de controw of de Armed Forces.[15] The actuaw day-to-day management is vested in de Chief of de Generaw Staff, de Czech chief of defence eqwivawent.[16]

The position of de Danish monarch as de head of de miwitary is deepwy rooted in tradition, uh-hah-hah-hah. Whiwe de 1953 constitution does not expwicitwy designate de monarch as commander-in-chief; it is impwicit, given de generaw provision in articwe 12 and de more specific wording of articwe 19 (2): "Except for purposes of defence against an armed attack upon de Reawm or Danish forces, de King shaww not use miwitary force against any foreign state widout de consent of de Fowketing. Any measure which de King may take in pursuance of dis provision shaww fordwif be submitted to de Fowketing".[17]

However, when reading de Danish Constitution, it is important to bear in mind dat de King in dis context is understood by Danish jurists to be read as de Government (consisting of de Prime Minister and oder ministers). This is a wogicaw conseqwence of articwes 12, 13 and 14, aww of which in essence stipuwates dat de powers vested in de monarch can onwy be exercised drough ministers, who are responsibwe for aww acts. Thus, de Government, in effect, howds de supreme command audority impwied in articwes 12 and 19(2).[18]

In Egypt, de President of de Repubwic howds de ceremoniaw titwe of Supreme Commander of de Armed Forces. A member of de government, usuawwy defence minister, is commander-in-chief of de Egyptian Armed Forces, de incumbent being Sedki Sobhi. The president stiww remains de onwy individuaw capabwe of decwaring war. Untiw de ewection of Mohamed Morsi in June 2012, prior Egyptian presidents had aww been former miwitary officers, and during de Yom Kippur War de president pwayed a major rowe at aww wevews of de pwanning of de war, and was in a witeraw sense Supreme Commander of de Armed Forces giving direct orders to de commanders from de headqwarters during de war as fiewd marshaw of de army, cowonew generaw of de air force and air defence forces and admiraw of de navy. Anwar Sadat often wore his miwitary uniform, whiwe former president Hosni Mubarak had abandoned dis tradition, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Since de constitutionaw reform of 2000, de Minister of Defence has de right to be present when de president uses his command powers, unwess de matter is of immediate concern, uh-hah-hah-hah. In qwestions of strategic importance, de Prime Minister has de same right.[22]:§32

The president commissions and promotes officers and decides on activating reservists for extraordinary service and on de mobiwisation of de Defence Forces.[22]:§40[23][24]:§ 128.2 If Parwiament is not in session when a decision to mobiwise is taken, it must be immediatewy convened.[24]:§ 129 Decwarations of a state of emergency (Finnish: vawmiustiwa, witerawwy, "state of preparedness") and state of war (Finnish: puowustustiwa, wit. "state of defence") are decwared by a presidentiaw decree, given after a motion by de government, which is den submitted to de Parwiament for ratification, uh-hah-hah-hah.[25][26]

The president has, in a state of emergency, de right to transfer de position of de commander-in-chief to anoder Finnish citizen, uh-hah-hah-hah.[24]:§ 129

In France, de President of de Repubwic is designated as "Chef des Armées" (witerawwy "Chief of de Armies") under articwe 15 of de constitution, and is as such de supreme executive audority in miwitary affairs. Articwe 16 provides de president wif extensive emergency powers.[27]

However, owing to de nature of de semi-presidentiaw system, de prime minister awso has key constitutionaw powers under articwe 21: "He shaww be responsibwe for nationaw defence" and has "power to make reguwations and shaww make appointments to civiw and miwitary posts".[27]

On 15 August 1947, each service was pwaced under its own commander-in-chief. In 1955, de dree service chiefs were re-designated as de Chief of de Army Staff (rank of generaw), de Chief of de Navaw Staff (rank of vice-admiraw) and de Chief of de Air Staff (rank of air marshaw) wif de president as de supreme commander. The Chief of de Air Staff was raised to de rank of air chief marshaw in 1965 and de Chief of de Navaw Staff raised to de rank of admiraw in 1968.

Indonesian Armed Forces has dree service branches: Indonesian Army, Indonesian Navy (incwuding Indonesian Marine Corps), and Indonesian Air Forces. Each service branch is headed by Chief of Staff (4-rank officer) who has de task of devewoping sowdier professionawism in each branch. But commanding audority is hewd by Commander of Indonesian Nationaw Armed Forces. Commanders have direct commanding audority to Main Combatants Command (Indonesian: Komando Utama Tempur) from aww service branches such as Army Speciaw Forces Command, Army Strategic Reserve Command, Miwitary Area Command, Fweet Command, Miwitary Sea Traffic Command, Nationaw Air Defense Command and Air-Force Operationaw Command. The Commander of de Armed Forces is appointed by de president from active Chiefs of Staff (Army, Navy, or Air Force) and must get approvaw from de House of Representatives. Chief of Staff is awso appointed by de president from senior miwitary officers. The president as commander-in-chief awso has audority in senior miwitary officer mutation and promotion in tour of duty. Minister of Defense has responsibiwity to assist de president in defense issues and create powicies about audorization use of miwitary force, manage defense budget, etc. For audorization use of miwitary forces or decwaration of war, de president must get approvaw from House of Representatives. The Commander of Armed Forces gives recommendations to de Minister of Defense in creating nationaw defense powicies.

The Federaw Constitution estabwishes dat de office of Supreme Commander is attached to de person of de Yang di-Pertuan Agong as de Federation's head of state:

Federaw Constitution, Articwe 41 - The Yang di-Pertuan Agong shaww be de Supreme Commander of de Armed Forces of de Federation, uh-hah-hah-hah.

The Federaw Parwiament passed de Federaw Armed Forces Act to consowidate in one waw aww reguwations dat govern de dree services ( Army, Navy, and Air Force ). It estabwishes de function and duties of de Federaw Head of State in de capacity as Supreme Commander.

Harawd V, King of Norway, officiawwy retains executive power. However, fowwowing de introduction of a parwiamentary system of government, de duties of de Monarch have since become strictwy representative and ceremoniaw, such as de formaw appointment and dismissaw of de Prime Minister and oder ministers in de executive government. Accordingwy, de Monarch is commander-in-chief of de Norwegian Armed Forces, and serves as chief dipwomatic officiaw abroad and as a symbow of unity.

In de Iswamic Repubwic of Pakistan, before de 1973 Constitution, de head of de army, i.e., de Chief of de Army Staff, was referred as Commander-in-Chief.[citation needed] The term was repwaced by Army Chief per recommendation of de Hamoodur Rehman Commission's report.[citation needed] The report awso recommended dat de president, being de head of state, be referred to as Supreme Commander. (The rowe of President is onwy a ceremoniaw position since de reaw power rests wif de ewected prime minister, who is de chief executive of de state.)[citation needed] Since 1973 dese rowes have been changed. Mostwy de Presidents of de Federation hewd de reaw power since most of de Presidents (especiawwy Dictators and Army Ruwers) have pwayed a more significant rowe, But Presentwy de Main Audority again rests wif PM after de strengdening of democracy.[citation needed]

The President of de Repubwic, for a period of war, shaww appoint de Commander-in-Chief of de Armed Forces on reqwest of de Prime Minister. He may dismiss de Commander-in-Chief of de Armed Forces in accordance wif de same procedure. The audority of de Commander-in-Chief of de Armed Forces, as weww as de principwe of his subordination to de constitutionaw organs of de Repubwic of Powand, shaww be specified by statute.

During de interbewwum period, de Generaw Inspector of de Armed Forces was appointed de commander-in-chief for de time of war (Supreme Commander of de Armed Forces). However, after de war dis function ceased to exist—dus it is wikewy dat if Powand formawwy participates in a war, Chief of de Generaw Staff of de Powish Armed Forces wiww be appointed Supreme Commander.

In de Portuguese miwitary parwance, de term "Commander-in-Chief" (in Portuguese: comandante-em-chefe or simpwy comandante-chefe) refers to de unified miwitary commander of aww de wand, navaw and air forces in a deater of operations.

The Government shaww conduct domestic and foreign powicy, civiw and miwitary administration and de defence of de State[41]

And articwe 98 furdermore specifies de composition of de Government (which de King is not a member of). No provision in de constitution reqwires de King/Government to seek approvaw from de Cortes Generawes before sending de armed forces abroad.[41]

As head of state, de President of Sri Lanka, is nominawwy de commander-in-chief of de armed forces. The Nationaw Security Counciw, chaired by de president is de audority charged wif formuwating and executing defence powicy for de nation, uh-hah-hah-hah. The highest wevew of miwitary headqwarters is de Ministry of Defence, since 1978 except for a few rare occasions de president retained de portfowio defence, dus being de Minister of Defence. The ministry and de armed forces have been controwwed by de during dese periods by eider a Minister of State, Deputy Minister for defence, and of recentwy de Permanent Secretary to de Ministry of Defence. Prior to 1978 de prime minister hewd de portfowio of Minister of Defence and Externaw Affairs, and was supported by a Parwiamentary Secretary for Defence and Externaw Affairs.

President of de Repubwic of Turkey has de constitutionaw right to represent de Supreme Miwitary Command of de Turkish Armed Forces, on behawf of de Turkish Grand Nationaw Assembwy, and to decide on de mobiwization of de Turkish Armed Forces, to appoint de Chief of de Generaw Staff, to caww de Nationaw Security Counciw to meet, to preside over de Nationaw Security Counciw, to procwaim martiaw waw or state of emergency, and to issue decrees having de force of waw, upon a decision of de Counciw of Ministers meeting under his/her chairmanship. Wif aww dese issues above written in de Constitution of Turkey, de executive rights are given to de President of de Repubwic of Turkey to be represented as de commander-in-chief of de nation, uh-hah-hah-hah.

The British monarch is de "Head of de Armed Forces"[44] and deir commander-in-chief.[45] Long-standing constitutionaw convention, however, has vested de facto executive audority, by de exercise of Royaw Prerogative powers, in de prime minister and de Secretary of State for Defence. The Prime Minister (acting wif de support of de Cabinet) makes de key decisions on de use of de armed forces.[46][47] The Queen, however, remains de "uwtimate audority" of de miwitary, wif officers and personnew swearing awwegiance onwy to de monarch.[48] A new constitutionaw convention appears to have become enshrined since de 2003 war in Iraq, whereby de UK wiww onwy take miwitary action (oder dan in circumstances of having to immediatewy react defensivewy) wif de consent of de House of Commons. Uwtimatewy however The Queen remains de "uwtimate audority" and can exercise such at wiww. As weww as de Miwitary de UK Powice forces awso swear awwegiance onwy to de Monarch, not de Government. This is to ensure dat Government Officiaws (incwuding de Prime Minister) can be arrested for committing indictabwe offences just as any normaw citizen, and are derefore not 'above de waw' unwike de Monarch.

The Ministry of Defence is de Government department and highest wevew of miwitary headqwarters charged wif formuwating and executing defence powicy for de Armed Forces; it empwoyed 103,930 civiwians in 2006.[49][50] The department is controwwed by de Secretary of State for Defence (or "de Defence Secretary") and contains dree deputy appointments: Minister of State for de Armed Forces, Minister for Defence Procurement, and Minister for Veterans' Affairs.

The Chief of de Defence Staff is de professionaw head of de Armed Forces and is an appointment dat can be hewd by an Admiraw, Generaw or Air Chief Marshaw (four-star officers). Before de practice was discontinued in de 1990s, dose who were appointed to de position of CDS (professionaw head of de Armed Forces) had been ewevated to de most senior rank in deir respective service (a five-star officer).[52] The CDS, awong wif de Permanent Under Secretary, are de principaw advisers to de departmentaw minister. The dree services have deir own respective professionaw chiefs (wikewise four-star officers): de First Sea Lord who is awso Chief of Navaw Staff, de Chief of de Generaw Staff and de Chief of de Air Staff.

From 1660 untiw 1904 de professionaw head of de Army was known as de Commander-in-Chief and as such had significant independence and power. Under de Commonweawf Government, de Commander-in-chief was a de facto head of state.

Since 2012, however, fuww operationaw command has been vested in de dree Chiefs of Staff, and de appointment of distinct Commanders-in-Chief has been discontinued. This change was impwemented in response to de 2011 Levene report, which advised dat it wouwd serve to "streamwine top-wevew decision-making, simpwify wines of accountabiwity..., remove dupwication between de posts and awso provide impetus to de weaning of de senior weadership".[53] New dree-star appointments (Fweet Commander, Commander Land Forces) mirror de owd ones, but dese are subordinate officers wif dewegated command responsibiwity, rader dan Commanders-in-Chief.

In de cowonies of de Engwish Empire, and subseqwentwy de British Empire, de duties of Lords Lieutenant were generawwy performed by de Commander-in-Chief or de Governor. Bof offices may have been occupied by de same person, uh-hah-hah-hah.

By way of an exampwe, dis is stiww de case in Britain's second, and owdest remaining, where de Royaw Navy's headqwarters, main base, and dockyard for de Norf America and West Indies Station was estabwished fowwowing independence of de United States of America. The cowony had raised Miwitia and Vowunteer forces since officiaw settwement in 1612 (wif a troop-of-horse added water), and a smaww force of reguwar infantry from 1701 to 1783. A warge reguwar army garrison was buiwt up after 1794, and de reserve forces faded away fowwowing de concwusion of de American War of 1812 as de wocaw government wost interest in paying for deir upkeep. From dis point untiw de 1960s, Governors were awmost excwusivewy senior officers of de Royaw Artiwwery or Royaw Engineers who were awso miwitary Commanders-in-Chief (and initiawwy awso Vice Admiraws). Attempts to rekindwe de miwitia widout a Miwitia Act or funds from de cowoniaw government were made droughout de century under de audorisation of de Governor and Commander-in-Chief, but none proved wasting. The cowoniaw government was finawwy compewwed to raise miwitia and vowunteer forces (de Bermuda Miwitia Artiwwery and de Bermuda Vowunteer Rifwe Corps by act in de 1890s (de Bermuda Cadet Corps, Bermuda Vowunteer Engineers, and Bermuda Miwitia Infantry were added at water dates), and dese feww under de Governor and Commander-in-Chief, as weww as under operationaw controw of his junior, de Brigadier in charge of de Bermuda Command (or Bermuda Garrison, which incwuded de reguwar as weww as de part-time miwitary (as opposed to navaw) forces in de cowony. Awdough de Royaw Navaw and de reguwar army estabwishments have been widdrawn from Bermuda, de Governor of Bermuda remains de Commander-in-Chief (dough most recent office howders have not been career army officers) of de Royaw Bermuda Regiment (a 1965 amawgam of de BMA and BVRC, which had bof been re-organised in wine wif de Territoriaw Army after de First Worwd War).[54][55]

President Donawd J. Trump is de current Commander in Chief of de Armed Forces of de United States. According to Articwe II, Section 2, Cwause I of de Constitution, de President of de United States is “Commander in Chief of de Army and Navy of de United States, and of de Miwitia of de severaw States, when cawwed into de actuaw Service of de United States.”[56] Since de Nationaw Security Act of 1947, dis has been understood to mean aww United States Armed Forces. U.S. ranks have deir roots in British miwitary traditions, wif de President possessing uwtimate audority, but no rank, maintaining a civiwian status. [57] The exact degree of audority dat de Constitution grants to de President as Commander in Chief has been de subject of much debate droughout history, wif Congress at various times granting de President wide audority and at oders attempting to restrict dat audority.[58]

In 1990, de Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and de ensuing Guwf War in 1991, saw George H.W. Bush assembwe and wead one of de wargest miwitary coawitions of nations in modern times. Confronting a major constitutionaw issue of murky wegiswation dat weft de wars in Korea and Vietnam widout officiaw decwarations of war, Congress qwickwy audorized sweeping war-making powers for Bush.[66] The weadership of George W. Bush during de War in Afghanistan and Iraq War achieved mixed resuwts. In de aftermaf of de September 11 attacks by aw-Qaeda, de subseqwent War on Terror dat fowwowed, and de 2003 invasion of Iraq due to Iraq's sponsorship of terrorism and awweged possession of weapons of mass destruction, de speed at which de Tawiban and Ba'af Party governments in bof Kabuw and Baghdad were toppwed by an overwhewming superiority of American and awwied forces defied de predictions of many miwitary experts. However, insufficient post-war pwanning and strategy by Bush and his advisors to rebuiwd dose nations were costwy.[67][68]

During de 20f century, certain area commanders came to be cawwed "Commander-in-chief".[74] As of 2011, dere are nine combatant commanders: six have regionaw responsibiwities, and dree have functionaw responsibiwities. Before 2002, de combatant commanders were referred to in daiwy use as "Commanders-in-chief" (for instance: "Commander in chief, U.S. Centraw Command"), even dough de offices were in fact awready designated as "combatant commander" in de waw specifying de positions.[75] On 24 October 2002, Secretary of Defense Donawd H. Rumsfewd announced his decision dat de use of "Commander-in-chief" wouwd dereafter be reserved for de President onwy.[76]

The Governor shaww be commander in chief of de Kentucky active miwitia, and de adjutant generaw shaww be de executive officer and shaww be responsibwe to de Governor for de proper functioning of de Kentucky active miwitia, and he is hereby audorized and empowered to take necessary action to perfect and maintain an efficient organization for de purposes herein set out. He shaww have charge of aww matters of administration and organization, which shaww be in aww respects, insofar as necessary and appwicabwe, de same as dat of de Nationaw Guard.

The Minister of Defence oversees operations of de Ministry of Defence, and de Vietnam Peopwe's Army. He awso oversees such agencies as de Generaw Staff and de Generaw Logistics Department. However, miwitary powicy is uwtimatewy directed by de Centraw Miwitary Commission of de ruwing Communist Party of Vietnam.

The rationawe for pwacing de command audority over de armed forces directwy wif de responsibwe minister in charge of de miwitary estabwishment, and dus breaking wif de wongstanding German constitutionaw tradition in bof earwier monarchicaw and repubwican systems of pwacing it wif de head of state, was dat in a democraticparwiamentary system de command audority shouwd directwy reside where it wouwd be exercised and where it is subject to de parwiamentary controw of de Bundestag at aww times. By assigning it directwy to de responsibwe minister, instead of wif de Federaw Chancewwor, dis awso meant dat miwitary affairs is but one of de many integrated responsibiwities of de government; in stark contrast of earwier times when de separate division of de miwitary estabwishment from de civiw administration awwowed de former to act as a state widin a state (in contrast to de Federaw Repubwic, de Weimar Repubwic began wif de Ebert–Groener pact, which kept de miwitary estabwishment as an autonomous force outside de controw of powitics; de 1925 ewection of Pauw von Hindenburg as Reichpräsident, surrounded by his camariwwa, did wittwe to reverse de trend).[82][83]

The Mawta Armed Forces Act does not directwy estabwish de President of Mawta as de Supreme Commander of de Armed Forces. However, Mawtese waw awwows de President to raise by vowuntary enwistment and maintain an armed force. Likewise, de waw awwows de President to issue orders in order to de administrate de armed forces.

It is important to note dat de Armed Forces do not swear awwegiance to de President of Mawta but rader to de Repubwic of Mawta. On dis basis, dere is no direct wink between de head of state and de armed forces. For dis reason, dis wink is mediated by de Minister responsibwe for defence.

Nonedewess, de Presidentiaw Pawaces are guarded by de Armed Forces as a symbowic gesture of sociaw cohesion, uh-hah-hah-hah.

Before a constitution change took pwace in 1983, even dough de eqwivawent section stated dat: "The King shaww have supreme audority over de armed forces"; dat did not give de monarch any autonomous command audority.[91]

The Minister of Defence has de primary ministeriaw responsibiwity for de armed forces, which are formawwy a part of de Ministry of Defence.[91] The Chief of Defence is de highest ranked professionaw miwitary officer, and serves as an intermediary between de Minister of Defence and de Armed Forces, and is responsibwe to de Minister for miwitary-strategic pwanning, operations and depwoyment of de Armed Forces.[92]

or is it de Chairman of de Nationaw Defence Commission who in articwe 100 is described as de "highest miwitary weading organ of State power and an organ for generaw controw over nationaw defense of de Democratic Peopwe's Repubwic of Korea"?[95]

In any case, de Norf Korean constitution, in articwe 102, is qwite expwicit regarding which officiaw commands de armed forces:

The Chairman is formawwy ewected by de Supreme Peopwe's Assembwy (articwe 91:5[96]) and serves for terms of office of five years (articwes 101[95] & 90:1[96]); but in practice, de office is hereditary widin de Kim Dynasty, as de wate Kim Jong-iw was posdumouswy designated as "Eternaw Chairman of de Nationaw Defence Commission", whiwe his son, Kim Jong-un, was appointed as de "First Chairman of de Nationaw Defence Commission".[97]

At present, de Government (Swedish: Regeringen) as a cowwective body, chaired and formed by de Prime Minister of Sweden, howds de highest Executive Audority, subject to de wiww of de Riksdag; and is dus de present day cwosest eqwivawent of a command-in-chief, awdough not expwicitwy designated as such.[99] The reason for dis change was, apart from de fact dat de King was since 1917 no wonger expected to make powiticaw decisions widout ministeriaw advice, dat de new Instrument of Government was intended to be made as descriptive on de workings of de State as possibwe, and refwective on how decisions are actuawwy made. Minister of JusticeLennart Geijer furder remarked in de government biww dat any continued pretensions of royaw invowvement in government decisions wouwd be of a "fictitious nature" and "highwy unsatisfactory".[100]

Certain Government decisions regarding de Armed Forces (Swedish: Särskiwda regeringsbeswut) may be dewegated to de Minister for Defence, under de supervision of de Prime Minister and to de extent waid down in ordinances.[101]

However, de Monarch (as of present King Carw XVI Gustaf), is stiww a four-star generaw and admiraw à wa suite in de Swedish Army, Navy and Air Force and is by unwritten convention regarded as de foremost representative of de Swedish Armed Forces.[103] The King has, as part of his court, a miwitary staff. The miwitary staff is headed by a senior officer (usuawwy a generaw or admiraw, retired from active service) and is composed of active duty miwitary officers serving as aides to de King and his famiwy.[104]

Supreme audority over de miwitary bewongs to de Federaw Counciw, which is de Swiss cowwegiaw head of state. Nodwidstanding de previous sentence, under de Constitution, de Federaw Counciw can onwy, in de operationaw sense, command a maximum of 4,000 sowdiers, wif a time wimit of dree weeks of mobiwisation, uh-hah-hah-hah.[105] For it to fiewd more service personnew, de Federaw Assembwy must ewect a Generaw (see bewow)[105] who is given four stars.[106] Thus, de Generaw is ewected by de Federaw Assembwy to give him de same democratic wegitimacy as de Federaw Counciw.[105]

In a time of decwared war or nationaw emergency, however, de Federaw Assembwy, assembwed as de United Federaw Assembwy, specificawwy for de purpose of taking on de war-time responsibiwities ewect a Generaw as Commander-in-Chief of de Armed Forces under Articwe 168 of de Constitution, uh-hah-hah-hah. Whiwe The Generaw acts as de highest miwitary audority wif a high degree of autonomy, he is stiww subordinate to de Federaw Counciw (See Articwes 58, 60, 174, 177, 180 & 185).[107] The Federaw Assembwy retains de sowe power to dismiss de Generaw, but de Generaw remains subordinate to de Federaw Counciw by de Counciw's abiwity to demobiwise and hence making de position of Generaw redundant.[105]

Widin NATO and de European Union, de term Chief of Defence (CHOD) is usuawwy used as a generic term for de highest-ranked office hewd by a professionaw miwitary officer on active duty, irrespective of deir actuaw titwe or powers.[108]

^For exampwe: "Ordered, That dis House joins and agrees wif de House of Commons in dis Vote; and dat de Lord Admiraw is hereby desired, from bof Houses of Parwiament, dat de Commander in Chief of dis Summer's Fweet under his Lordship, may be de Earw of Warwicke.", House of Lords Journaw 15 March 1642

^"Statute Book - Defence Act, 1954". Retrieved 1 May 2015. Under de direction of de President, and subject to de provisions of dis Act, de miwitary command of, and aww executive and administrative powers in rewation to, de Defence Forces, incwuding de power to dewegate command and audority, shaww be exercisabwe by de Government and, subject to such exceptions and wimitations as de Government may from time to time determine, drough and by de Minister.

^Gesetz über das Staatsoberhaupt des Deutschen Reichs, 1 August 1934:
"§ 1 The office of de Reichspräsident is merged wif dat of de Reichskanzwer. Therefore, de previous rights of de Reichspräsident pass over to de Führer and Reichskanzwer Adowf Hitwer. He names his deputy."